MARCH 12, 2024 – In response to the Senate and Assembly One House Budgets, Rosemary Rivera, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York, released the following statement:
“In a welcome contrast to Governor Hochul’s Executive Budget proposal, Citizen Action of New York is pleased to see that the One House Budgets demonstrate an awareness of the affordability crisis that everyday New Yorkers continue to face. The legislature’s budget recommendations show recognition that our state must urgently prioritize the skyrocketing costs of basic needs, from housing and health care to childcare and energy bills and beyond.
“Specifically, we congratulate the Senate and Assembly for their inclusion of progressive revenue proposals; to provide much-needed support to low-income and working-class New Yorkers, we must begin with the ultra-wealthy contributing their fair share. The presence of the Housing Access Voucher Program and mention of Good Cause tenant protections by the legislature is a vital acknowledgment that we cannot solve the housing crisis without ensuring that the most impacted receive long-overdue relief from predatory rents and retaliatory evictions. The real estate industry, the most significant political donor and wealthiest special interest, has never and will never be the solution to the housing affordability crisis.
“We know that New York will only be the state we envision it to be if we prioritize our most valuable resources: our children. After years of work to ensure the resolution of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, the Governor took the credit for its delivery, only to backtrack against fully funding our children. Therefore, we are grateful that the legislative leadership has seen fit to reverse the devastating cuts to education proposed by Governor Hochul and increase investment in child care. In addition, the proposals to fund Mothers and Infants Lasting Change and Working Families Tax Credit are a step in the right direction towards addressing the plight of childhood poverty and maternal health.
“We must ensure Coverage for All is in the budget so that every New Yorker, regardless of age or immigration status, can access the fundamental right to health care.
“As the climate crisis continues, we all have a responsibility to ensure a future with a safe and sustainable environment. The Climate Superfund Act provides a one-time infusion that would be a partial remedy for the historical neglect of polluters, which has harmed so many of our low-income and communities of color. Time is short to fix the climate crisis, and we must put our money where our mouth is. In the meantime, we must alleviate the burden of consumers paying too much for utilities: the New York Heat Act and the Capitol Renewables Act must be in the final budget.
“As we head into the period before a final negotiated budget, Citizen Action of New York will look to Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie to prioritize the needs of everyday New Yorkers in that process.”